people, places and ICT

July 20, 2008

The latest from Tanzania

Meanwhile, here's the latest note from Adrian Bristow, who's now working with
Coca-Cola in Tanzania, where he's collecting local opinions and ideas.
On the way, he's been in the USA, talking to experienced development
agencies to learn about what they're doing. The local research in
Africa will lay the groundwork to take forward some ideas on using
Coca-Cola's local distribution networks. Our group's proposal to
distribute rehydration salts and related educational materials will be
part of the mix that local Coca-Cola distributors will look at.

"It's been pretty hectic since I left Ethiopia: I have had some
interesting travels and met a lot of really helpful people. In
particular, I spent some time in New York speaking to people in the
development community, where I found an incredible passion for work in
Africa. There are a lot of really good initiatives on the go, although
the one thing that struck me was how we could potentially be working
more closely together for an even bigger impact.
"On the way back out into the field I grabbed a bit of time at home in
South Africa. Then this week it's off to Tanzania. Here I'll complete
the initial data gathering from more local Coca-cola distributors - the
Manual Distribution Centre owners. We are really trying to get a good
understanding of their key needs as well as their views on how they
could be part of the solution as a partner of Coca-Cola to address what
they view as key community needs.
"I'm looking forward to Dar-es-Salaam: a great place to visit, a hive
of activity and being on the coast adds a special relaxed feel to the
place. That's where I'll be when I send you the next update and
hopefully - if I can just make some time to sit down at the computer -
a bit more detail and some pictures!"